California: Celebrated Frogs Get Jump on Habitat Protection
12/22/99
*******************************
RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Title: Celebrated frogs get jump on habitat protection
Source: Environmental News Network
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: December 22, 1999
Byline: Margot Higgins
The high-stepping, life-threatened California red-legged frog will
soon receive better habitat protection through the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service as a result of a ruling Monday by a federal court.
The decision resulted from a lawsuit filed in March 1999 by five
conservation organizations, including the Jumping Frog Research
Institute, Pacific Rivers Council, Center for Biological Diversity,
Center for Sierra Nevada Conservation and Responsible Consumers of
the Monterey Peninsula. The groups contended that the frog's steady
decline was the result of habitat destruction throughout California.
Once found throughout much of the state, the California red-legged
frog is the largest native frog in the western United States. Today,
the frog is confined to isolated pockets along the California coast.
A few survivors also remain in the Sierra Nevada.
Made famous in Mark Twain's short story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog
of Calaveras County," the California red-legged frog was listed in
1996 as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Despite the
listing, the frog received no habitat protection.
"This important ruling will have impact through a substantial portion
of California," noted David Dilworth of Responsible Consumer of the
Monterey Peninsula. "Historically, the frog could be found in 46
counties, from the Sierra (Nevada) to the coast, and its habitat is
threatened by all sorts of activities. Finally, this habitat will
receive the protection it deserves."
Development, logging, chemical spraying and irrigation are some of
the activities to blame for destroying the frog's delicate habitat.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has acknowledged that preservation
of riparian areas and aquatic habitat is needed for the survival and
recovery of the frog. But the agency dragged its feet, claiming it
needed more time to evaluate the habitat in question.
The Court blamed the agency for failing to recognize the importance
of attaching a critical habitat designation to the California red-
legged frog. "The designation would itself inform the public as well
as state and local governments about locations and habitat needs of
imperiled species," the court stated in its ruling. "Where the public
is educated as to the location and specific habitat needs of
imperiled species at risk, inadvertent acts of destruction may be
avoided."
While the lawsuit represents a victory for the frog, many groups
remain concerned about habitat protection for other species listed
under the Endangered Species Act. Peter Galvin of the Center for
Biological Diversity noted, "While the law requires the Fish and
Wildlife Service to protect habitat that is vital to the survival and
recovery of our imperiled species, the service is notoriously
reluctant to do so. Less than 10 percent of threatened and endangered
species have these important habitat protections in place."